Fortunately, you’re not stuck with this setup. A simple menu change from 3D to 2D controls quickly fixes it, and movement is based on camera perspective rather than the orientation of your character. However, this does cause some problems as the camera can get tight in cramped quarters, which leads to constant camera angle flips that could literally leave you running in circles. If you’re trying to run from weird mutant things in a hazy fog, this tends to be problematic.

In contrast, the music is dour but not stark. It’s fitting but not particularly memorable in any way; it could be cut-and-pasted into the loading menu of any gritty sci-fi game. It might have been interesting if the developers went with the Survival Horror method of silence to accompany the game.

How busy? There’s movement (left/right, acceleration/brake, camera angle), weapons (primary, secondary, primary weapon selection — mapped to the left/right trigger buttons in all configurations), and defensive actions (freeze, shield, turbo boost). The training section is the equivalent of an onscreen manual, so you’ll take probably an hour or two getting used to the controls, more if you decide to switch control schemes midway through. Except for players used to the classic PS1/PS2 control schemes, it’s probably worth it to try all three different control schemes to get a sense of what works best for you.

Of course, for any racing game, the bottom line on controls is whether or not they’re responsive enough to be immersive. EA Sports did it right this time by bringing over what already worked as a classic control option, then putting a lot of thought into right analog controls and new features. Both sets of controls are crisp and responsive, which is particularly critical when you’re snowboarding down a mountain at a really, really, ridiculously speed. And just like the old games, when things seem out of control, a few frantic hacks at the controller might pull off your best trick yet.